I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Bile spewed from the lips of Harry Potter as he stood hunched over, his right hand on a nearby tree while his left held his stomach tenderly, trying to ease the discomfort that he was currently feeling as a result of the run that he had ventured on with Aurora.

“Wipe the vomit from your lips and let’s go!” hissed Aurora, jogging in place as she stood a few feet away, observing how his body swayed slightly from exhaustion.

Harry slowly wiped the remnants from his lips with his sweat drenched shirt. “I can’t do this anymore,” he breathed heavily while his hands rested on his knees for support, “Can’t we call it a day?”

“Do you think a Death Eater’s going to let you call it a day when you’re tired during a duel? Fuck no! He’s going to come at you harder and you need to be able to push through that pain so get your shit together and let’s go!” Aurora turned her face forward, the sun illuminating her features, making her seem like an Aztec warrior. “We still have another two miles to go and then we’re doing fifty laps around the pitch.”

There was no point arguing with her, he knew she was right. He was going to have to push through the exhaustion in order to be in top shape for the first tournament if he planned on surviving against a dragon, but that was easier said than done.

Harry wasn’t used to this extreme training. Aurora was ferocious in her approach, it wasn’t just exercise it was, to an extent, torture for he could literally feel his muscles tearing, begging for him to put an end to their misery but the statuesque beauty that ran behind him, her hand on the small of his back to push him in case he started slacking off, refused to let him stop.

Eventually the pair finished the two miles to get to the Quidditch pitch. Harry collapsed on the ground the moment that they entered the massive stadium while Aurora closed her eyes before summoning her broom along with Harry’s.

“How’d you manage to do that?” he asked, baffled by how his broom had suddenly appeared.

Aurora mounted her broom. “Simple summoning charm, I can teach it to you if you like. Who knows it may end up being of some use. Now come on, we have fifty laps to do before we’re through and don’t worry; we’ll fly these babies to the entrance so we’re not too tired.”

Fifty laps were usually a breeze for Harry, but his exhaustion caused each lap to become increasingly harder, making him yearn for the solid ground where he could collapse because up in the air he could not dismount without risking severe personal injury or death.

In the end Aurora ended up flying both of them to the castle due to Harry’s inability to grip the broom properly any longer. His hands were wrapped tightly around her waist while his broom was placed in between them.

“Is this what you do every morning?” Harry struggled to keep up with her pace up the stairs.

Aurora nodded her head. “Every morning, but usually it’s just a run followed by some weight training, flying is only for weekends but you need it, so that’s why we’re doing it.”

“Amazing,” Harry marveled at her, “I’ve never met anyone so fit and you don’t even look overly fit like I’d imagine you to be! Forgive me if I'm being impertinent but what is it that you wish to do after graduation?”

“I want to become an auror,” answered Aurora before she stopped to say the password to get into the Gryffindor common room. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do all my life.”

“Aurora the Auror,” mumbled Harry, “It has a ring to it; I could see you on one of the Famous Wizards Cards in the chocolate frog candy.”

Her lips hitched into the smile when he said ‘Aurora the auror,’ it reminded her of the eldest Weasley child. “I should be so lucky, excuse me, I have to go get ready for the day.”

“Are you going to Hogsmeade?” he asked, rubbing his sore back muscles gently.

Aurora nodded her head. “Yeah, my family’s coming for a visit so I have to make myself presentable.”

“You always are,” whispered Harry, his cheeks taking on a pink tinge from embarrassment.

Roughly two hours later Aurora had taken a hot shower, changed into comfortable clothes, napped and she was now waiting alongside Hannah for the twins to get down from their dorm so that they could begin their walk towards Hogsmeade.

Introducing the twins to her family was not something that she had planned to do, but since they’d been so kind to introduce her to theirs she felt that it was only right that she do the same, plus showing her mom that she has friends would get the middle aged witch off her back.

“How do we look?” exclaimed the twins simultaneously, dressed in their best outfits, their hair actually somewhat tamed.

Aurora was momentarily quiet, sincerely touched that the twins had put so much effort into their appearance. “Guys look really nice. I’m sure my moms going to like you, gingers tend to love gingers.”

Fred’s eyes widened at that, “Your moms a ginger?!”

“Yeah, she’s straight up Irish and is very gingery,” answered Aurora, “If you stare at my face really closely you can see some light freckles, I got them from her.”

“Merlin’s beard!” whispered George. “You’re part ginger! Oh now you can be a Weasley!”

“Aurora Weasley!” chirped Fed. “Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Are you two done with your nonsense?” They nodded their heads in response. “Alright let’s go then.”

Walking to Hogsmeade proved to be a bit strenuous on Aurora than she had anticipated because of the intense flying that she’d done earlier in the day. Normally her flight practices consist of twenty laps but because she wanted Harry to be stronger she pushed herself further than she’d ever pushed herself before on a broom and now she was paying for it.

“RORY!” bellowed Margaret when she saw her daughter enter the Three Broomsticks.

Aurora cursed inwardly, hating the spectacle that her mom was creating. “Hey mom,” she greeted.

“Oh how I’ve missed you!” Margaret took her daughter into her arms, completely unaware of the three teenagers that stood at her side. “You look thin! Just wait until you come home and I’ll whip up all your favorites!” Margaret pulled away and noticed the children. “Darling Hannah, I didn’t believe your mom when she told me that you were coming to Hogwarts, so nice to see you my dear and who are these two strapping young men with gorgeous hair?”

“Mom these are my friends Fred and George Weasley, Fred and George this is my mom, Margaret,” introduced Aurora, stepping aside so that they could politely shake hands.

Margaret was immediately charmed by the two gingers that complimented her beauty and joked playfully; she liked them for her daughter and was glad that she had moved the family to England because it was obvious to her that her plan had worked out for the best.

“Liam,” whispered Aurora when she saw her brother emerge, carrying in his arms baby Quinn, “I missed you.”

He playfully messed up her hair with his left hand. “I miss you to and I know for a fact that this boy here missed you more than anyone. Isn’t that right Quinn?”

Quinn began cooing happily when he saw Aurora and stretched out his small pudgy arms for her sister to take. Aurora eagerly took Quinn into her arms, smothering him with kisses which made the twins smile because they’d never seen her show anyone/anything so much affection.

“Did you miss me?” she asked him in a childish voice, earning a giggle from the small boy.

Aurora followed her mother’s lead to the back of the restaurant where a large table awaited them. Quinn sat beside Aurora in his high chair while the twins sat in between her and Hannah, failing miserably at keeping themselves in check but Aurora didn’t mind.

Lunch, at least the first hour of it, went by uneventfully. Everyone was just enjoying one another’s presence but then an uninvited guest arrived. He was tall, standing easily above 6ft with short messy dark brown hair and cold grey eyes that made Aurora ball her hands into fist, but what truly pissed her off was the way that he carried himself with what arrogance.

“Aurora, my dear,” Margaret paused, fearing what her daughter’s reaction would be. “This is Edmund, my . . .”

“Your, what?” asked Aurora in a deathly low voice, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it come from her mother’s lips.

Margaret cleared her throat before continuing, “My boyfriend.”

Fury flashed through Aurora, but her face didn’t betray her feelings. “A year after dad dies and here you are, introducing a stranger to your children.” Her nostrils flared slightly, “Very nice.”

“Aurora,” Margaret’s voice was soft, begging her daughter to stop but Aurora would not stop.

“How dare you try to ‘Aurora’ me?” Aurora tried to convince herself mentally to shut up, to not put her drama out there for everyone to see but the smug smile on the son of a bitch’s face sent her over the edge. “You sicken me! How dare you go out there and get a new boyfriend when you haven’t tried looking for your husband’s murderer?!” Her mother flinched slightly, “How can you start a new fucking life when you haven’t even honored dad by avenging his DEATH?!”

“STOP!” cried Margaret, her voice cracking, “I thought you’d be happy that I found someone. Your father would’ve been happy.”

At those words Auror completely lost it. In a split second she bolted up from her seat and threw the massive table over, knocking down all that was littered atop it and staining the soft green dress that her mother wore with various drinks and foods.

Aurora knew that that was a lie.

Her father would feel betrayed by her mother’s actions. One year, one miserable year, isn’t enough time to mourn someone that you’ve been with for twenty seven years of your life, someone that you loved, cherished and had three children with.

“AURORA!” hissed Margaret, humiliated by her daughter’s angry outburst. “Control yourself!”

“Control myself?” repeated Aurora, her lips turning into a scowl. “Weren’t you the one that was always complaining that I don’t show any emotion?! HERE YOUR FUCKING EMOTION so take it!”

Margaret grew frightened by her daughter’s behavior, “Please Aurora.”

“Why would I stop? All this while you’ve bitched about how cold I am, so here’s the emotion. Take the fucking fury it’s what you want, it’s what you knew you were going to get when you brought that son of a bitch here! How could you think I would accept him?! What the fuck were you thinking?! Liam may be alright with him; Quinn doesn’t have a fucking clue but I do and I'm done with you. One year? Honestly, one fucking year? Is that all dad meant to you? He would’ve died alone if you had died, but not you. No, you’re a silly little woman that needs a man to be happy, good, have your fucking man but you just lost your daughter.”

Aurora turned to walk away, but what stopped when Liam roughly grabbed her arm.

“Apologize to her!” he bellowed, clearly angered by his sister’s words.

“Dad’s rolling over in his grave right now because of you two.” Aurora freed herself from his hold before turning to her mother, “Don’t you ever contact me again.”

“You need me,” Margaret stepped closer, tears streaming down her emerald green eyes. “Aurora, you need me, you have no money on your own, how will you live?!”

“Have you forgotten that I have two grandparents that are leaving everything to me when they die” Aurora smirked, “Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself because that smug bastard that’s standing beside you is going to bring you nothing but misery.”

“Well I never,” Edmund finally spoke up, his voice eerily familiar but she couldn’t quite place her finger where she’d heard it before.

Walking away would’ve been the best thing to do when he spoke but Aurora grabbed a pint of butterbeer from a nearby table and threw it at his face. “Go fuck yourself.”

Aurora bolted out of the club, ignoring her friends pleads to stay or at least to wait for them but Aurora wasn’t waiting for anyone, she needed to be by herself. Her legs carried her towards a deserted alleyway that’s floor was lined with decaying trash.

Some might say that Aurora was overreacting, that her mother has a right to move on with her life which is true, the woman does have a right to try and start over again but Aurora didn’t like the idea of it being one year after her father died, hell there were still eight days left before Javier had officially been dead for one year and already there was a man taking his place, a son of a bitch that gave Aurora the chills.

Being unable to handle the emotions swirling within her Aurora decided to do the only thing she could think of, she punched the brick wall which made her hiss in pain but it relieved her anger a little so she did it again and again and again until her knuckles were bleeding profusely and the skin had been savagely torn.

Bill stopped in his tracks when he heard sobbing coming from an alleyway. He turned his head in the direction to see who was crying and when he saw Aurora standing there, blood dripping from her hands, he ran towards her, completely forgetting that he was supposed to meet Charlie for drinks.

“Aurora. . .”

Quickly she wiped the tears off on her shirt before turning around to face him, not wanting him to see her so weak. “Hey Bill, what’s up?” she asked, her voice hoarse from the sobbing.

Bill completely ignored her question. “What’s wrong? Did someone do something to you?”

“No,” answered Aurora, “It’s just that time of month, I get really bad and sob like a madwoman.”

“Liar,” shot Bill, stepping towards her. “Tell me what’s wrong maybe I can help you.”

Aurora pushed him away, turning on her heel to leave the alleyway but Bill grabbed her arm. “What the fuck do you want?! We’re not best friends for me to be telling you what’s going on in my life! We share music and smoke weed together, that’s the extent of our relationship so please let me fucking go and I’ll deal with shit my way.”

“Go ahead, scream, curse, hit me if you want but that’s not going to make anything better and you know it. You know it and you’re afraid to admit it because you’re Aurora the badass that doesn’t show real emotions.”

Aurora was furious, those were the words that her entire family had been repeating since her father passed so against her better judgment she popped off.

“What do you want me to do?! Do you want me to sit here like a little bitch and cry my eyes out, playing the damsel in distress card?! That’s not me! That’s not who my father raised me to be! He taught me to be strong, to push passed the fucking pain and that’s what I try to do,” Aurora’s voice became strained as she tried to hold back the tears, “But I can’t. I can’t do it all the fucking time and I'm sure that my dad’s ashamed of me in heaven because I'm not as strong as I should be but I’ll be that strong one day.”

“Shh calm down,” cooed Bill, taking her into his arms.

“Let me go!” screamed Aurora, punching him in the chest.

Bill’s hold only grew stronger, he held her with both arms, pressing her up against his body until she finally stopped fighting and broke down into a fit of tears, dampening his shirt with her salty tears.

“There will be an answer, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Let it be, let it be.” Bill sang softly into her ear, rubbing her back tenderly in hopes of soothing her, “Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.”